Be Patient

Be Patient

You may have heard these familiar clichés concerning patience: “Good things come to those who wait,” “Patience is a virtue,” and “Hurry up and wait.” Another one that occurs in Scripture is the phrase “patient endurance,” implying that patience involves putting up with something unpleasant for a long time—that’s why it has been translated “long-suffering.” Those sitting in a boring lecture or meeting understand a bit of this idea. Those who have had to endure complicated dental work understand it too. Runners know the feeling of “suffering” for a “long” time, usually beginning in the serious stage of a race and continuing until the finish. Runners need patience during those long miles for sure!

In the Bible, patience is often cited in the context of experiencing hardships or enduring suffering for Christ (much more severe than meetings, teeth problems, and marathons) and waiting for Christ’s glorious return and heavenly rewards. Here’s an example:

Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.

So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. (Hebrews 10:32-36)

Peter gives another powerful example, writing to people who were undergoing great persecution, including torture and death—“fiery trials.” Here’s his message:

Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Today, people are still suffering for Christ.

The Runner

On May 7, 2009, two members of a Colombian guerrilla group burst into the home of church leader José Rodriguez and his wife, Emilse Maria del Carmen, and shot them dead in front of two of their children, Heidy (9) and Ambar (2). When the grandparents and neighbors arrived to take care of the bodies, Heidy took her sister’s hand and led her outside. Someday the girls and their brother, Juan (2 mos.), may understand that their parents were Christian martyrs—murdered because they believed in Christ. But now, all Heidy could do was whisper in Ambar’s ear, “My parents now are in heaven. And we—we are under Lord Jesus.”

Christians in Al-Nawahid, Egypt, were attacked on November 15, 2010, by hundreds of Muslims who rampaged through their community, firebombing houses and businesses after hearing rumors of a romantic relationship between a Christian and a Muslim. Though the rumor proved untrue, the resulting violence reflects a feud among three families vying for political control in the area, using Christians as targets in an effort to unseat the town’s mayor.

Officials in Katin village (Laos) ordered six more Christian families to renounce their faith or face expulsion in early January 2011. Eleven Christian families, totaling forty-eight people, were expelled at gunpoint in January 2010. The six families now under threat had become Christians since the January expulsion. In July 2010, village leaders said they would shoot every Christian who returned to Katin.

In Somalia on November 25, 2010, seventeen-year-old Nurta Mohamed Farah, who converted to Christianity from Islam, was shot to death in an apparent “honor killing.”

On November 5, 2010, a private investigation team visited four villages in Kandhamal district (India), Orissa state, the site of anti-Christian violence in 2008. Christians reported that the local administration had done little to protect them, and they suspected that officials had colluded with area Hindu nationalists. Many Christians are still ostracized and pressured to return to Hinduism. Recent incidents of persecution in states other than Orissa include Hindu extremists beating a Christian, three Christian gatherings disrupted, a Christian burial blocked, and false complaints against Christians registered with the police.

In Vietnam, two Christian evangelists, Ksor Y Du and Kpa Y Co, received harsh sentences of six and four years in prison, respectively, for “undermining national unity.” Both evangelists, who are of the Ede minority, were arrested and held ten months without charges. Ksor was one of many thousands of ethnic minority people who had demonstrated in 2004 against religious oppression and illegal confiscation of their traditional lands.

(These reports of courageous believers are adapted from reports by Open Doors, www.opendoorsusa.org.)

The Race

Clearly, followers of Christ are still being persecuted for their faith. The early believers experienced extreme suffering, yet they could rejoice because they knew that in light of eternity, their time of suffering was short, and they knew that what awaited them after death was worth anything they might have to endure in life. That’s why Paul could write, “I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church” (Colossians 1:24).

During his ministry for Christ, Paul was given thirty-nine lashes five times; three times he was beaten with rods; once he was stoned; he was slandered and chased from cities; he experienced two Roman prison terms; eventually, he was executed—all because he dared to live and speak boldly for Christ (see 2 Corinthians 11:24-27). Now that’s “patient endurance”!

The Result

You probably won’t be lashed thirty-nine times, beaten with rods, or stoned. But you will endure hardships because of your faith. When that happens, learn from your running experiences and the powerful examples of Peter, Paul, and the early church. Rejoice in your sufferings as you confidently and patiently press forward for Christ.

My Story

When I considered running a marathon, veteran runners encouraged me to train for the Mardi Gras Marathon. They said it would be a good one because of the size (2,000+ runners) and the straight course—we would be running across the world’s longest bridge, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, which spans more than twenty-three miles. Besides, the start would be just about three or four miles from my house in Covington. (The race would begin two miles before the bridge and finish about a mile after the bridge, in Metairie.) Sounded good to me—so I trained during October, November, and December for the race in early January.

What a disaster! When I awoke and prepared for the race, I learned that a warm front had moved in, so we would be running into the wind. And because of the straight course, the wind would be in my face the entire race—at thirty-five miles per hour. Also, I soon realized that running over a bridge meant no spectators to cheer us on. Except for the aid stations, we runners were on our own. Speaking of no encouragement, we had nothing to look at except water on the right and concrete in front and on the left—not very inspiring. Early on, I noticed that many were running in small lines or columns, protecting each other from the wind by taking turns leading the pack and drafting off each other. Unfortunately, being six foot three, I couldn’t duck behind anyone.

I was struggling when I came to the second high-rise—hills in the causeway for boats to pass under, at mile markers eight and sixteen. I saw runners walking up the incline, and I thought, I’ll keep running. Then when I get to the top, I’ll see the other shore and I’ll be running downhill! That ought to inspire me and give me my second wind.

Instead, after exerting the last of my energy to get to the top, I suddenly felt the full force of the wind—it had been partially blocked by the bridge. Instead of running downhill, because of the wind it seemed as if I were running on flat ground. And yes, I could see the shoreline, but it was still about five miles away.

A worker tried to be encouraging by saying, “Just a 10K left,” but I thought, More than six miles? I’ll never make it. I definitely had slammed into the wall. Small buses passed periodically to pick up runners who had given up. I seriously considered it. But I thought of all the training I had invested--wasted. I also knew that I would be second-guessing myself about the decision for months and years to come. But mainly I kept going because I knew that my wife, Gail, and our six-year-old daughter, Kara, would be waiting for me at the finish.

I had nothing left--absolutely nothing--yet I kept going somehow. I don’t remember the next few miles at all, just one foot in front of the other, running, shuffling, walking . . . moving forward until my feet hit land and through bleary eyes I saw the crowds and heard their cheers. I stumbled along and then straightened up as I turned the corner onto Veterans Highway and saw the finish . . . and gave it my all.

The next day’s headlines read, “Few Survive Causeway Killer.” I was one.

Dave

Think It Through

1. What’s the most painful experience you’ve run through? What kept you going? What was your reward for finishing?

2. What has your faith in Christ cost you? What pain have you endured—or are you enduring—because you follow him?

3. What lessons has God taught you through those times of persecution? What did you (or will you) receive for enduring?

4. What lessons from Scripture will help you endure suffering for Christ in the days and years to come?

On Running

How do I build my self-confidence?

Successes build self-confidence. If you are training for a race, structure your training sessions to incorporate successes—completing a distance, running under a certain time, etc. Physical conditioning also affects a person’s confidence—the better shape you are in, the better you will feel. Acting confidently will help you feel more confident—the emotion follows the act. Think confidently by focusing on the task and motivating thoughts. Avoid judgmental thoughts. Finally, the use of imagery builds self-confidence—if you see yourself engaging in something and doing it correctly, you will begin to feel more confident in that activity.